NRPS Chief Bill Fordy originally asked for a 15.1 per cent increase. Pictured: Fordy. Photo Credit: NRPS.
On Nov. 14, Niagara Regional Council passed a 13.18 per cent hike to the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) operating budget for 2025. The increase will provide NRPS with a total of $213.3 million to carry out its mandate in the coming year.
The vote, which was 16 in favour and 14 against, is representative of the tension that councillors were experiencing as they considered the requirement to ensure public safety, as well as the need to limit the burden on taxpayers.
According to new NRPS Police Chief Bill Fordy, NRPS has to take into consideration the rapid population growth of the Niagara Region, which is expected to reach 700,000 by the middle of this century. Between 2016 and 2021, Niagara’s population grew by 6.8 per cent, from 453,817 to 484,840.
It was also observed that calls for service rose by about 2.2 per cent per year. NRPS responded to, on average, 381 calls for service each day in the year 2023. An approximately 7.4 per cent increase is needed to continue with the current levels of service.
Fordy originally asked for a 15.1 per cent increase at the start of Thursday’s committee-of-the-whole debate. The council was able to decrease this number by onboarding 33 new front-line recruits in a staggered hiring process.
NRPS has utilized this cost-saving strategy successfully in the past. It is projected that the staggered hiring will save ratepayers approximately $3.65 million, albeit temporarily. The plan is that all of the positions will still be filled by the end of the year.
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley acknowledged that the financial needs of NRPS were growing. However, he urged regional council to do everything possible to offset the soaring cost of this budget, citing the understandable concerns of residents.
In terms of dollars and cents, Bradley noted that the police budget request is the largest of any of the regional boards, commissions and agencies.
Some of the most notable opposition to increasing the police budget by this large sum came from Fort Erie Councillor Tom Insinna. Insinna, who is a retired RCMP officer, agreed that the police force needs to grow with the community. At the same time, however, he argued that some expenditures must be delayed to bring down the costs.
Insinna suggested that each councillor ponder whether they could, on a personal level, afford a 15 per cent increase. He explained that in light of the immensely challenging broader economic context of this moment in time, he does not believe that residents can be asked to bear this heavy of a burden.
It was the view of Insinna that four new senior management hirings should be put off until next year to decrease the overall expenditures. These officers will include new inspectors for emergency planning and investigative services, a superintendent of emergency services, as well as a new deputy chief of community services.
Bradley drafted a protest letter to Premier Doug Ford and Michael Kerzner, the Ontario Solicitor General, in which he asked the provincial government to cover $10.3 million (5.7 per cent) of the 2025 police budget increase. These funds would be used to pay for the changes outlined in the Community Safety and Policing Act, which came into effect on April 1, and replaced the former Police Services Act.
Most of this 5.7 per cent increase will be directly connected to additional police training requirements as outlined in the new Act. The Regional Council voted to endorse this letter when they approved the 13.18 per cent increase to the police budget.
The Region’s operating budget has not yet been set by Council. However, according to the Associate Director of Budgets Planning Strategy, Beth Brens, it is anticipated that this number will be roughly 10 per cent.
Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls
